Prevention is better than cure, as a timeworn phrase always advises – and doctors always say that the key to effective treatment is early diagnosis of diseases.
However, the harsh reality is that the prohibitive costs of diagnostic services often prevent many Filipinos, especially indigents, from getting access to such services. A CT scan, for instance, may start at P4,000 at most private hospitals, while even laboratory tests can start at P300.
New Diagnostics Center opens in San Pedro City
So it was no small benefit for residents of San Pedrenses that the city government recently launched its own diagnostics center for its indigent citizens.
Mayor Art Mercado himself led the opening ceremony of the new San Pedro City Diagnostics Center in Barangay Santo Niño last October 3.
The new center, situated at the Outpatient Department building of the Jose L. Amante Emergency Hospital (JLAEH), is expected to provide affordable but quality diagnostic services such as CT-Scan, 2D-Echo, Mammogram, Ultrasound, and ECG.
New Diagnostics Center opens in San Pedro City
“Ang pasilidad na ito ay isang hakbang patungo sa mas malawak na access sa healthcare para sa bawat mamamayan ng San Pedro,” Mercado said in a Facebook post.
“Simula nung tayo ay napagbigyan makapaglingkod sa ating bayan, alam ko na marami tayong dapat kailangan baguhin at i-improve sa ating mga services lalo na sa ating health care system,” he added.
These projects include the future San Pedro City Medical Center in Barangay Narra, as well as the construction of two “Super Health Centers” in Bayan-bayanan, San Vicente and Santo Niño.
“While we acknowledge that there are still challenges ahead in improving our city’s healthcare system, rest assured na magta-trabaho kami, one step at a time, para matugunan ang lahat ng ito. Nasimulan na natin, mas pag-iigihan pa natin,” Mercado pledged.
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